Mental Health During the Holiday Season: Stress, Spending & Social Pressure
The holiday season is often portrayed as joyful and relaxing, but for many people, it can be one of the most stressful times of the year. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed during Christmas or the festive season, you’re not alone. Let’s look at why holidays can feel stressful, what triggers these feelings, and practical ways to manage them.
Why the Holidays Can Be Stressful
Holidays can be stressful for many reasons, including but not limited to:
Navigating Family Situations
Family gatherings can be wonderful, but they can also bring tension and conflict. Differences in opinions, old arguments, or strained relationships often surface during holiday events. For some, spending extended time with family can feel overwhelming, especially if there’s pressure to “keep the peace” or meet expectations.
Financial Stress
The festive season often comes with extra costs: gifts, travel, food, and social events. Financial strain can lead to anxiety, guilt, or feelings of inadequacy. Overspending during Christmas shopping or trying to meet unrealistic expectations can create stress that lasts well beyond the holidays.
Work-Related Pressure and Burnout
The end of the year often means deadlines, performance reviews, and wrapping up projects. Many people feel pressure to finish tasks before taking time off, which can lead to burnout. Trying to balance work commitments with holiday planning adds another layer of stress.
Social Pressure and Increased Social Obligations
Holiday parties, family dinners, and community events can feel like a marathon of social obligations. For introverts or those experiencing social anxiety, this can be exhausting. There’s often pressure to attend every event, look cheerful, and maintain appearances, even when you’re feeling drained.
Loneliness
Not everyone has family or friends to celebrate with. For those who are isolated, the holidays can amplify feelings of loneliness. Seeing others share joyful moments on social media can make this even harder.
Past Trauma Around a Holiday Period
For some, holidays are associated with painful memories: loss of a loved one, family conflict, or traumatic events. These memories can resurface during festive times, making it difficult to feel joy or relaxation.
Change of Routine
The holidays often disrupt normal routines: sleep patterns, eating habits, and exercise schedules. While this can feel exciting at first, lack of structure can increase stress and anxiety, especially for those who rely on routine for stability.
End of Year Anxiety, Worry, Anticipation and Dread
The end of the year can bring mixed emotions. Some feel pressure to reflect on achievements and previous goals, set new goals, or meet expectations before January. This anticipation can lead to anxiety and dread, making it harder to cope with everyday stressors.
Social Comparison
Social media can create unrealistic expectations of what holidays “should” look like. Comparing your celebrations, gifts, or family life to others can lead to feelings of inadequacy and disappointment.
End of Year Deadlines
Work deadlines, school assignments, and financial obligations often pile up before the holidays. Trying to manage these alongside festive planning can feel overwhelming and exhausting.
Common Holiday Stress Triggers: Spending, Social Pressure & Family Expectations
Financial strain, social commitments, and family expectations often top the list of holiday stress triggers. Overspending during Christmas shopping, pressure to attend multiple social events, and navigating family dynamics can all contribute to heightened anxiety.
Social media can make this worse by creating unrealistic expectations and comparisons. Seeing curated images of “perfect holidays” can lead to feelings of inadequacy and increase stress levels.
The Impact of Holiday Stress on Mental Health
Holiday stress doesn’t just affect your mood, it can impact your overall mental health. Increased stress can lead to irritability, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and even physical symptoms like headaches or muscle tension. For some, it may trigger anxiety or low mood, making it harder to cope with daily responsibilities.
Recognizing these signs early is important. If stress starts interfering with your ability to function, it’s time to take action.
Practical Tips for Managing Holiday Stress
This is not an exhaustive list of practical tips, but it’s a great place to start if you’re feeling overwhelmed during the festive season:
Schedule Self-Care and Micro Breaks
Self-care doesn’t have to mean a full day at the spa. It can be small, intentional moments that help you recharge. Think about having a quiet coffee, taking a short walk, enjoying a nap, watching a favourite movie or TV show, or cooking a simple, nourishing meal. These micro breaks give your mind and body a chance to reset and reduce stress.
Talk to Someone Understanding and Empathetic
When stress builds up, sharing your feelings with someone you trust can make a big difference. Whether it’s a friend, family member, or colleague, talking things through helps reduce emotional burden and reminds you that you’re not alone. If you don’t have someone close to confide in, consider reaching out to a mental health professional for support.
Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is one of the most effective ways to manage stress because it helps you stay grounded in the present moment instead of worrying about the past or future. If you’re new to mindfulness, start simple:
- Breathing meditation: Sit quietly and focus on your breath. When your mind wanders (which is normal), gently, and without judgement, bring your attention back to your breathing.
- Body scan: Slowly bring awareness to different parts of your body, noticing sensations like tension, warmth, or relaxation.
Even five minutes of mindfulness can help calm racing thoughts and reduce anxiety.
Simplify Your To-Do List
The holidays often come with endless tasks; shopping, cooking, decorating, attending events. To avoid overwhelm, prioritise what truly matters to YOU. Ask yourself: What’s essential? What can I let go of? Simplifying your plans helps you focus on meaningful activities instead of trying to do everything.
Break Tasks Into Smaller Steps
Big tasks can feel intimidating and lead to procrastination. Breaking them down into smaller, manageable chunks makes them more achievable and less stressful. For example, instead of “prepare Christmas dinner,” start with “write a shopping list,” then “buy ingredients,” then “prep vegetables.” Each small win reduces pressure.
Focus on Gratitude
Research shows that gratitude is linked to happiness and increased life satisfaction (Kerry, Chhabra, and Clifton, 2023). Try listing three things you’re grateful for each day; big or small. Gratitude can shift your focus from what’s missing to what’s present, helping you feel calmer and more positive.
Spend Time Outdoors
Nature has a powerful effect on stress. Studies show that spending time outside reduces both perceived and physiological stress (Shuda, Bougoulias, Kass, 2020). Even a short walk in a park or sitting in your garden can help clear your mind and boost your mood.
Limit Social Media
Social media can fuel unnecessary comparison and pressure during the holidays. Seeing curated images of “perfect” celebrations, holidays, or family life often creates unrealistic expectations. Consider setting time limits or taking a social media break to protect your mental health.
When to Seek Professional Help
Sometimes we may experience a period of stress and navigate the way through it successfully, and we may even feel our stress decrease.
However, sometimes, even when we try the hardest to manage stress through these practical stress management strategies, we may still feel stress and may even experience an increase in anxiety, low mood, irritability, feelings of overwhelm and emotional distress. If these continue and impact your day-to-day life (e.g., your ability to motivate yourself, your mood, your relationships with others, ability to concentrate, or increased and/or consistent negative thoughts) it may be worth seeing a psychologist.
Final Thoughts
Holiday stress is common, but it doesn’t have to overshadow the season. By taking proactive steps and reaching out for help when needed, you can create space for calm and connection.
If you’re struggling, consider speaking with a mental health professional. At Mind-Care, our psychologists can help you develop coping strategies and support your mental well-being during the festive season and beyond. Simply contact us using the form on our website and one of our helpful staff will get in touch or call us on 02 4943 41111.
REFERENCES
Kerry, N., Chhabra, R. and Clifton, J. (2023) ‘Being thankful for what you have: A systematic review of evidence for the effect of gratitude on life satisfaction’, Psychology Research and Behaviour Management, Volume 16, pp. 4799–4816. doi:10.2147/prbm.s372432.
